


thicker than water, stronger than blood

by coykoi



Series: ‘tis the season (to be jolly) [4]
Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Adoption, F/M, Fluff, Snowed In, Spideychelle, cold sleepy cuddles, first christmas as a family, for once it’s just fluff, promptmas, we love soft family dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:35:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28202472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coykoi/pseuds/coykoi
Summary: Michelle doesn’t have to wonder if the tears in her own eyes are tears of happiness when there’s no other reason to be crying. She shakes the hand of the counselor and lamely wipes her cheek afterwards, bending down next to Peter, to their daughter.“Welcome home, Shel,” Peter whispers, opening his arms to both of them, engulfing his family in his embrace. “We’re so glad to have you.”
Relationships: Michelle Jones/Peter Parker
Series: ‘tis the season (to be jolly) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2061615
Comments: 30
Kudos: 88
Collections: Twelve Days of Promptmas





	thicker than water, stronger than blood

**Author's Note:**

> ♥️

“Is this really happening? Are we really doing this?” Peter asks in a hushed whisper, squeezing her fingers with an unprecedented amount of strength, and she squeezes back just as hard because this is a memorable moment. Their moment. “What if we mess something up?”

“We probably will,” Michelle responds with a half-hearted laugh, her breath catching when their apartment doorbell rings. She knows her gut is saying that they’ll be okay at this, that this will be the best decision that she’s ever made. But she’s so nervous. “You get the door.”

“I’ll get the door, yeah. I am...getting the door.” He swallows thickly, moving slower than she could’ve ever thought possible before finally twisting the knob, swinging the door open. And there they are.

Michelle has always been able to calculate the exact moments when someone like Peter Parker falls in love. She’s seen it enough, experienced it enough, and watching him visibly soften just now, she knows that it’s just happened for the third time.

“This is really happening,” she murmurs, blinking rapidly as Peter nods, wrapping an arm around her, squeezing. His tears are prominent and emotional as they touch down on her skin.

“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Parker,” their adoption counselor says with a smile before kneeling down to the girl in front of her. “And congratulations to you, Miss Shelley May. I hope that you have the best life with your new parents.”

“The best present,” Shelley replies quietly, the gap in her teeth showing when she grins. “Thank you, ma’am.”

Michelle doesn’t have to wonder if the tears in her own eyes are tears of happiness when there’s no other reason to be crying. She shakes the hand of the counselor and lamely wipes her cheek afterwards, bending down next to Peter, to their daughter.

“Welcome home, Shel,” Peter whispers, opening his arms to both of them, engulfing his family in his embrace. “We’re so glad to have you.”

“Thank you so much,” Shelley mumbles, her eyes shining, and Michelle pulls back ever so slightly to smile at her, to dry the tears from her cheek.

Michelle can feel relentless love filling her up to the brim until she can no longer think of anything but her family that’s now complete.  
  


* * *

  
It was a decision they made together during the end of last year, Michelle having always known that she’s wanted a family. She’s talked about it endlessly with her own mother, the prospect of having the same warmth and comfort of their relationship being passed down to her own child.

And Peter had been on the same page, thrilled when she first brought up the idea of having kids. They’d only been engaged at the time, but he was so family-oriented himself with his aunt and the children they’d volunteered with at FEAST that it worked out.

They were always meant to start a family of their own.

But then, maybe not in the way Michelle had initially assumed, after months of trying and trying with nothing to show for it. It was disheartening to say the least, though nothing compared to the feeling she’d felt once they realized what was wrong.

“It’s in the DNA,” Tony had explained, both Peter and Michelle getting medically tested to check for any abnormalities. “I’m so sorry, kids. Looks like the radioactivity from when the spider bit you...made it impossible for you to have children, Pete.”

There wasn’t anything they could do at the time, Peter being a little more than crushed. It was hard for him to accept, hard for both of them, and there was a period of time when they drifted—him giving her an out if she wanted it, saying he refused to be the one to keep her from having a family.

“Take that back, Peter,” Michelle had said quietly, bringing his left hand to her heart. His wedding ring was glistening, his eyes as well. “You are my family. You. If we can’t have kids, so what? There are other ways.”

It took them weeks to research adoption agencies, months to go through the processes of interviews and meetings and looking for someone who would fit with them and their lifestyle. They weren’t picky, but it was difficult to find a child that actually clicked with them.

That is, until they’d met Shelley, who was wonderful and lovely and had an attitude that measured up to match their net personality. It only took one meeting, and they knew.

Fast forward a few months later, and now Michelle’s here, baking chocolate chip cookies for Santa with her daughter sneaking pieces of cookie dough, thinking she’s being sneaky. 

It’s still a new thing, getting used to the dynamics after only a few weeks of being home together, but Michelle can already tell that Shelley is going to take after Peter. She already has the traits to match.

“If you keep eating the dough, there’s no going to be enough left over for Santa,” Michelle chastises, bending down to pick Shelley up, resting her on her hip. “You want him to come, don’t you?”

“When he comes, he’s gonna eat my cookies,” Shelley mumbles, resting her cheek against her collarbone, nose cold. “So I have to eat them first.”

“Oh, is that so?” Michelle bites back a smile, pressing a brief kiss to her forehead before setting her back down. She gathers the baking sheets and places them in the oven. “Well, at least wait until they’re baked, love. Raw dough isn’t good for you.”

“Okay.” Shelley grins, a toothy thing, before going back to her coloring pages on the table. She takes the red and black, miraculously not making a mark outside the lines, and maybe that’s the perfectionist in her.

Michelle is about to take a seat as well but then she hears the window scraping open in the back room, and she snorts. “Sounds like your father is home.”

“But what if it’s Santa?” Shelley’s eyes widen and she immediately abandons her pages, already running back to their bedroom. “Santa!”

“Not quite, Shel,” Peter replies, voice muffled from the mask as he clumsily clambers back in through the window, spilling snow and slush all over the floor of their bedroom. “But, hey! Spider-Man’s better than Santa, right?”

Shelley merely sticks her tongue out before wrapping herself around his legs, hugging him just the way a six year old would. 

“Welcome home,” Michelle comments with a slight laugh, nodding at their daughter before pulling his mask off. His face is flushed and freezing. “Your suit has no heat insulation?”

“No, it does. I’m just stupid. Forgot,” Peter chuckles, bringing her in for a light kiss on the mouth. His nose is rosy and cold brushing against her skin. “How are my girls doing? Making cookies?”

Michelle’s lips curl upwards as their daughter whispers in his ear when he bends to her level, Peter nodding thoughtfully. He bursts out with an unprecedented laugh before picking her up, resting her on his hip.

“Why...why aren't you in Christmas colors, Dad?” Shelley questions, resting her head on his shoulder.

Peter looks down at his Spider-Man suit, the red and black clearly not up to her standards. He sighs exaggeratedly, shaking his head as he says, “Honestly, I have no idea. Shame on me, Shel.”

“Hey, Shelley, why don’t you go get your coloring page to show your dad?” Michelle suggests, giving Peter a sideways glance, knowing that they have to talk about something.

“Okay!” Shelley jumps down from his arms, racing back into the kitchen, which gives them about thirty seconds.

“I think we can safely say that visiting Santa is a no-go this year,” Peter sighs, wringing his mask in his hands. “Everything’s put away, and there’s almost, like, a foot of snow outside.”

Michelle pushes down the disappointment in her chest, knowing that it’s really not that big of a deal, but it’s always fun bringing your children to see him, have them sit on his lap and whisper what they want for Christmas. To be snowed in like this is just their luck.

“Maybe we can...you don’t think he’ll come back tomorrow?” Michelle asks anyway, gnashing the inside of her cheek. He merely gives her a sad smile and a shake of his head.

“I know we wanted to make her first real Christmas special, but there’s always next year. I mean, hey, we have all the time in the world, right?” Peter gives her a reassuring smile, a nudge with his nose. “If she asks, we’ll tell her that Santa had to take his break to deliver the presents.”

“Santa is delivering presents already?” Shelley’s excited squeal brings their attention back to her as she grips her paper. But then she freezes. “Wait, but how are we going to see him?”

Michelle hesitates, feeling the guilt rise in her chest as she says, “I’m...so sorry, sweetie. I know you wanted to visit him early, but the weather is terrible out there, and Santa has already left. Preparing for tonight, no doubt.”

“Aww. Well, it’s okay. We’ll just wait until he gets here to see him, right?”

“Of course,” she says with a small smile, trying not to let her panic show. 

“That means he’s gonna get my cookies,” Shelley continues with a frown, her parents’ turmoil unbeknownst to her. “I have to eat them before he gets here. Mama, why are they still in the oven?”

“They’re still baking, love,” Michelle explains with a strained laugh, watching the way she groans. “Sorry to say.”

“It’s okay.” Shelley gnaws on her lower lip before bringing her coloring page from behind her back. “Dad, look! I’m coloring you.”

Peter’s expression morphs into something of surprise before softening, his heart in his gaze and his smile wide as he takes the paper where Spider-Man is colored in. “Now that is beautiful, Shelley. Thank you, I’m honored. I didn’t know they made these?”

Shelley rocks on her heels, glancing at Michelle before grinning shyly as she says, “Mama drew it and I colored. We worked together. It was a team effort.”

“Oh,” he breathes, eyes shining as they meet hers, and before Michelle can react with a smile, he’s pulling them both in for a freezing hug. “You two. I love you girls so much. I’m going to frame this.”

“Yeah, you better,” Michelle teases, receiving a peck of a kiss in return. She feels her cheeks heat up despite the cold temperature. “Such a sap.”

“Says the one who drew me for Christmas,” Peter replies, grinning, and she shakes her head, failing to bite back her own smile.

“Hey, Mama. What’s that burning smell?” 

Michelle hesitates for a moment after Shelley tugs at her sleeves, not smelling anything until she realizes it’s too late. Closing her eyes, she sighs, because their luck strikes again. “The cookies.”  
  


* * *

  
It’s later in the evening when Michelle finds herself trapped watching some cheesy Hallmark movie that she doesn’t know the name of, her and Peter sandwiching their daughter between them on the couch. There’s a burnt plate of chocolate chip cookies on the table in front of them.

Michelle watches the way Shelley yawns, snuggling deeper beneath the knit wool blanket that’s meant to be shared between the three of them, but she’s quite the hog. 

“You tired, kid?” Peter asks, a small smile gracing his lips as his arm is slung around her shoulders. “It’s nearly ten, way past your bedtime. The sooner you go to bed, the sooner Santa’s gonna come.”

“No, I don’t wanna miss him,” Shelley mumbles, resting her head on Michelle’s shoulder as she yawns again, eyes fluttering. “Plus, the movie isn’t over yet.”

“You really want to stay up to see Santa?” Michelle asks, frowning slightly, knowing she doesn’t want to disappoint her, but there’s no way they’ll be able to get him around this year. They’ve got nothing prepared, and they’re just waiting to put the gifts beneath the tree themselves. 

Shelley nods, saying, “I even wrote him a letter.”

“Well. It is our first Christmas,” Peter begins to say, and Michelle gives him a warning look that he ignores. “Maybe we can make an exception. You can stay up tonight and only tonight.”

“To see Santa?”

“Yeah,” he tells her, leaving Michelle to flop her head against the back of the couch, closing her eyes. All they’re doing is setting her up for disappointment, really, and what kind of Christmas is that. “You sure you’re gonna be awake by the time he gets here?”

“I will, I promise,” she mumbles, chest rising as she takes a big breath. “Thanks, Dad. Thank you, Mama.”

“Well...even if you’re not tired, I sure am.” Peter stretches, an exaggerated thing, before standing up from the couch. He presses a kiss to each of their heads, ignoring the way Michelle is scowling at him for leaving her with the job of letting their daughter down gently. “I think I’m gonna head to bed early. Goodnight, my lovely ladies.”

When he walks out of the living room, leaving Michelle with Shelley and the dumb Hallmark movie, she turns to her with a tentative smile. Always a blast, not getting to be the fun parent.

“Shelley, maybe you shouldn’t get your hopes up too much,” she begins to say. “Sometimes, Santa doesn’t get to certain homes until really late. We can’t blame him for that but, uh, if you don’t get to see him…”

“Don’t worry, Mama. I think he’s gonna be here,” Shelley responds softly, closing her eyes, and Michelle inwardly curses. If she were to just let her fall asleep until morning, would it really be so bad?

Michelle swallows, carefully reaching forward to take one of the burnt cookies. Make it look believable that he was there, she thinks with a grimace, chewing it slowly. Not the best tasting.

Within the next fifteen minutes, the credits of the movie are rolling and Shelley is quietly snoring against her shoulder. And, well, that makes things easier.

Carefully, Michelle extracts herself from the couch and immediately backs up to their bedroom where the gifts are located, only to find it empty. No Peter, no gifts, but she only makes the connection when she hears something that sounds suspiciously like footsteps on the outside of their apartment.

Not the building hallway. More like the fire escape.

Michelle walks back out to the living room, finding a certain someone scaling by the outside of their window. Though, instead of him being Spider-Man this time, he’s most definitely in a Santa suit with a sad excuse of a sack slung over his shoulder.

The tapping on the glass is what startles Shelley from her brief nap, Michelle already coming over to lift the window. She snorts in amusement when he makes a poor attempt at Santa’s laugh.

“Ho, ho, ho. Um, hello. Can I come in?”

“Santa! You’re here,” Shelley exclaims, excited, and she rushes over, nearly tackling him in a hug the moment he makes it in the window. “Do you usually enter through the window?”

“Well, kid. There’s no chimney ‘round here, so,” Peter says, and Michelle can’t keep her laugh in at the voice modification. He turns to her with some mock-offended look. “Hey, ma’am, what’s so funny? I’m just here to deliver this absolutely delightful girl her presents.”

Michelle meets his eyes, sees the amusement in them shining right back, and she merely gives him a thumb’s up. “Appreciate that, Santa.”

“Wait. I, um, I have this letter for you.” Shelley grabs it from behind the TV stand, fumbling a bit with the paper, and she seems nervous. “It’s a ‘thank you’ note. I just...um. You gave me the only gift I asked for this year, so I wrote that to say thanks very much.”

Peter bends down on one knee, meeting her level. “And what gift is that?” 

“A, um. A family.” Shelley rocks on her heels, lips pressed into a shy smile, and Michelle knows they’re both taken aback by that answer. “Thank you.”

“Y—yeah. Of course,” Peter responds with a cough, eyes wide as he meets Michelle’s gaze. “Of course. You deserve it, kid, and I’m positive that your family is just as thankful to have you as their gift this Christmas.”

“One-hundred percent,” Michelle murmurs, kneeling to wrap an arm around her, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Your father and I love you very much, Shel.”

“Love you back, Mama,” Shelley mumbles with a grin, tucking a curl behind her ear. “Sorry for staying up so late. I’m gonna go to bed, I think, but see you next year, Santa?”

“For sure. Yeah,” he breathes out.

Shelley plops a chaste kiss against Michelle’s cheek, saying, “Goodnight,” before skipping back to her room. It makes her chuckle, just a bit, the warmth of their daughter’s personality like a radiating thing even in the cold apartment.

“Wow. How did we get so lucky?” 

“You tell me, Santa,” Michelle hums, turning to him with the rise of an eyebrow, and he has the audacity to laugh as the white beard is pulled off. “Didn’t think to tell me you had this planned, huh?”

“Sometimes, it’s fun to watch you panic,” Peter murmurs, pulling her in and peppering a few kisses along her mouth. He smirks slightly when they break. “Hey, you wanna take a chance and sit on Santa’s lap?”

“Oh, my god. Get away from me,” she says with a hushed laugh, pushing him back by the shoulder. “We have a daughter who could walk out any minute.”

“We have a daughter,” he repeats with the echo of a smile, as if that’s the only thing he heard, and she thinks that’s fair. “God. I’m so happy.”

“Me, too. It’s a Christmas miracle,” Michelle responds quietly, leaning into his embrace, and thinks she’ll forever be wondering how they really did get so lucky.

**Author's Note:**

> @coykoii on tumblr and twitter :)


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